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In The Press

“At 1,296 pages, it’s the equivalent of a couple of Twilight books sewn together, though not nearly as sparkly. In fact, it could make quite the dull doorstop — a big, Russian doorstop. That was Rachel Smalter Hall’s copy of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. And for two years of her life, she felt every page’s weight on her slim shoulders.”

“The group deploys a self-mockery about its literary (and drinking) interests that participants seem to enjoy making fun of. They’re at the same time picking astute literary fiction to read — and the apparent hipster drink of choice to brand themselves with — and open to anyone who wants to join. It’s about laughing at elitism while having fun within what at least looks like its bounds.”

“This group is not your standard book club, consisting of old ladies sipping tea while discussing a novel. They’re all young, mostly in their 20s and 30s, and started the group because they are a bunch of friends who all love to read. One member, Rachel Smalter Hall, works for the Lawrence Public Library, and led tonight’s discussion on Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, because she had a role in a bigger sort of book club here in Lawrence.”

“A small committee picked Winter’s Bone from a short list of 25 books because the libraries wanted to feature a living author and a novel that could inspire discussion of relevant social issues, said Rachel Smalter Hall, adult programs librarian at Lawrence Public Library. Author Daniel Woodrell is a KU graduate, and Winter’s Bone follows the hardships of 16-year-old protagonist Ree Dolly and her poverty-stricken, meth-addled Ozarks family.”

“Rachel Smalter Hall said the themes in Winter’s Bone are different from other books selected for Read Across Lawrence. Smalter Hall, director of Read Across Lawrence, said books are chosen based on their Kansas tie-ins and their ability to inspire conversation about important issues of our time. She said Woodrell’s novel has more provocative themes, and the selection has gotten more people involved with the program.”